


My Secret Hiding Place

by Nixie_DeAngel



Category: The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Avengers - Freeform, F/M, Fluff, Happy, Happy Ending, Mentions of other characters - Freeform, Party, Stark Holiday Party, This is after the team deals with Thanos, and I'm having everyone live and be happy, because we could all use some happy in our lives
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-19
Updated: 2019-01-19
Packaged: 2019-10-07 06:52:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 938
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17361095
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nixie_DeAngel/pseuds/Nixie_DeAngel
Summary: Natasha snags a glass of champagne from a passing tray, pretending to take a sip as her eyes scan the room. As she moves about the populated room, her gaze’s flickers from person to person, categorizing any potential threat or ally as her eyes bounce from person to person, only skipping over those of her team.





	My Secret Hiding Place

**Author's Note:**

  * For [TeyrianTimelord](https://archiveofourown.org/users/TeyrianTimelord/gifts).



> The Prompt I choose to go with was: Nat and Bucky sneak away the Stark Christmas party for their own celebration.
> 
> I'm super sorry this is so late! Unexpectedly (but thankfully) my grandma's surgery got bumped up a week, so my writing time had to be redistributed to getting everything ready for her. I hope you enjoyed this, and once again, sorry for being so late!!

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Natasha snags a glass of champagne from a passing tray. She pretends to take a sip as her eyes scan the room, taking in the exits and routes she’d need to take for a quick escape if need be. Moving slowly, she dances her way around the populated room and lets her gaze’s flickers from person to person, categorizing any potential threat or ally as her eyes bounce from person to person, only skipping over those of her team. After all, reading them would be pointless, since she’d already placed them into the correct boxes in her mind long ago.

Slipping into a corner, she tucks out of the way, but keeping all exits in her line of sight, Natasha takes a real slip from her glass. Leaning back, her lips twitch up into a small, but fond smirk, as she watches the heated –but amiable— squabble between Tony and Steve, both tucked away from the main party on the other side of the room.

She watches them for a moment longer before sweeping her gaze to where Vision and Wanda are curled up, laughing and talking to Hope, Scott, Sam and Rhodey by the bar, then to where Bruce, Betty, Thor and the few Asgardian’s who’d agreed to attend the New Year Party were speaking and intermingling with a few scientists and military personnel.

She watches as Brunnhilde and Okoye talk technique near them, while keeping an eye on Shuri, Peter, Ned and MJ. The teens look more like their conspiring to cause mischievous as they snicker and sneak looks to where T’Challa and Nakia sneak soft looks while speaking with Carol –who herself can’t stop eyeing Rhodey every few seconds— and Natasha can’t help but smile at that. She sweeps over a bickering Strange and Loki, notes the danger in letting them that close and unsupervised when she spies Heimdall quietly watching from the corner opposite to her own, when she shivers slightly, a tingle crawling up her spine, the only warning she gets when someone suddenly appears right next to her.

 “Enjoying yourself here in the corner?”

Natasha hums, moving her eyes off to where Laura and Clint were laughing and joking with Happy and May to glance at James before sliding her gaze away again. “As anyone can be with the last few years we’ve had.” She watches as Rhodey and Pepper flit about, talking with Military Brass and investors, respectively.

She listens as James shifts, shuffling half a step closer to her and leans back against the wall to her left. “Brooding or ensuring all’s right?”

“If I was brooding, James, you wouldn’t be talking with me,” she murmurs before taking another sip, letting them slip into a comfortable silence for a few more moments. “I like knowing they’re there; knowing and seeing their here, their happy.” She feels, more than sees, James nod in understanding before once again, a silence settles over them.

 

 

Natasha barely keeps herself from jumping when after a while James speaks up, “Wanna get out of here?”

Turning slightly, she tilts her head and raises her brow at him in question.

Waving his flesh hand around, “Out of here. Somewhere,” he trails off, shrugging before moving to lift his arms and crosses them over his chest before almost immediately dropping his arms and shoving his hands into his pockets. "Somewhere more quiet. Less crowded."

Blinking slowly, Natasha lets her lips curve up into a warm, pleased smile and nods firmly. Swallowing what’s left of her drink, they straighten up and move silently, slipping through the crows. They easily avoids getting trapped in conversations with teammates and strangers alike as they move out of the open area and down the hall to slip into the open and waiting elevator.

“The teams floor please, FRIDAY,” James murmurs as the doors close silently as soon as they’re both in.

_“Of course, Sargent Barnes.”_

“Plan in mind?” Natasha questions, voice quiet and raspy as she moves to lean back against the wall. "Or are we flying blind?"

Smirking slightly, James moves to mirror her against the opposite wall. “Figured we could get outta the monkey clothes for starters.” He nods down to his neatly pressed slacks and button down and then tilts his chin to her elegant, deep emerald green evening gown. 

Chuckling softly, she nods. Even all these years having to wear clothes like this, Natasha never did grow fond of having to be stuck in them. She would always prefer her outfits to have better mobility if she could. “And then?”

“Nice night,” he adds. His face goes soft and open as he gave her a small smile. “Maybe go for a drive?”

Tilting her head, she studies him until the elevator dings quietly and the doors open. Straightening up, she nods twice, “Then I should go grab something better to wear for an evening drive.” She watches as James nods in response as he slinks off. "Meet in the garage in twenty?"

"Make it ten."

They share a leering grin before striding off towards their respective rooms to change into far more comfortable clothing. 

 

 

They have nearly a five minute debate —mostly them sending one another pointed looks and faces, rather than exchanging any true words— before they decide to swipe Tony’s new Audi for their evening drive.

“Steve would say we’re  _burrowing_ ,” Natasha snarks while putting her feet up on the dash.

“He’d also complain about your feet on the dash,” James adds, with a flash of a smirk, before going back to watching the road as he drives them down the dirt road, away from the compound.

**Author's Note:**

> I'm [Nixie](http://nixie-deangel.tumblr.com/). Please don't be afraid to tell me what you think of this!


End file.
